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Fukushima three years on, March 11

12 Mar 2014

Yesterday was the third anniversary of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeast coast of Japan, leaving about 19,000 dead or missing and hundreds of thousands homeless as the giant waves wiped out entire towns. They also crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, making it the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in what is now Ukraine in 1986. Contaminated water that has accumulated at the Fukushima plant remains the biggest problem, hampering the clean-up process. Journalists were allowed into the crippled plant on Monday. Photographers from Reuters, Bloomberg, AP, AFP and EPA took these pictures of the plant and surrounding areas.

Balloons in the shape of doves are released yesterday during a memorial service for Japan’s tsunami victims at the former Yuriage junior high school in Natori, Miyagi prefecture. The event was held on the third anniversary of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that left nearly 19,000 people dead, destroyed coastal communities and triggered a nuclear crisis. Photo: AFP